Fiber-preparing machine.



A. ZABRISKIE.

FIBER PREPARING MACHINE.-

APBLIOATION FILED JULY 23, 1907.

Patented 001;. 6,1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

, ln'unior: rfllbert Zarisliz'e by 6M! 7AM Milo/neg.-

Witnesses: 64M

' A. ZABRISKIE.

FIBER PREPARING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED J-ULYZS, 1907.

900,251.- v Patented Oct. 6, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses lnvenlar: a; 1 61"! ZabrzS/fz'c by MM.S FL

A. ZABRISKIE. FIBER PREPARING MAGEINE. APPLfQATION mum JULY 23, 1907.

Patented 0cfi.6,1908.

3 SHEET8-SHBET 3.

Inventor; W166i! Zabrioll'z'c Witnesses m m M cleaned leaves from said ALBERT ZABRISKIE, 0F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

FIBER PREPARING user-mm.

To all whom it may concem:

\ Be it known that I, ALBERTZABRISKIE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Paters n, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Fiber-Pre- I parin Machines, 0 which the following is a speci cation.

Th-isinvention relates to fiber pre aring machinesend particularly to that c ass of such machines as are provided for removing the ulpy portions of tive y coarse growth as sisal, agaveand the like, whereby the fibers of said leaves are made available for-commercial purposes.

' In the drawings accom anying thls specification, I have illustrate one form of a fiberpreparing machine embodying my im rovements. Therein Figure 1 is a genera view. Fig. 2 is an end elevation 100 from the feeding end'of the machine and portions of the feed mechanism removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation looking in the direction of arrow 8 of Fig. 1 and with those parts in front of line 1, 1 removed. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a detail of the scutching mechanism. Figs. 5 and 6 are step views showing the operation of a detail of my improvements. Fig. 7 is a view of a leaf partly cleaned.

The general type of machine to which I have illustrated my improvements applied comprises two scutching wheels 10, 11 located one after the other in the horizontal. plane and having their axes parallel but offset so that the peripheries of said wheels overlap when viewed axially; a pair of-coni eyer chains 20, 22 for serving the first scutching wheel 10 and a second pair of conveyer chains 21, 23, oflset horizontally from the first pair of chains, for taking the partly first pair of chains and presenting the same to the action of the second scutching wheel 11.

The object of my improvements is to furnish a machine of the general class specified, simple in construction erated with a relatively small expen iture of power and with a minimum waste of thefiber of the leaf. With these objects in view I fix the first scutchin wheel 10 on a suitable shaft 12 and which shaft has its bearings at 14, 16 in frames 2, 3 respectively. Said shaft'12 is provided with a-pulley 6 to which power maybe su plied by-means of a belt not shown, direct y from any suitable source of power. The second scutching wheel 11 is Specification of Ifetters Patent.

. Application filed July 23, 1907. Serial No. 885,121.

theleaves of such relalan with;

and which ma be op-- edge of the shoe an Patented Oct. 6, 1908. I

fixed on shaft 13 mounted in bearings 15, 17, 19 in frames 3, land rail 5 respectively. Said frames 2, 3, 4 are fixed to and are upstanding from bed late 9 of the machine, while rail 5 extends 2 to frame 3 and is fixed thereto. 13 is provided with a may be supplied by convenient source Said shaft pulley 7 to which power means of a belt from any of power such as that orizontally from. frame from which scutching wheel 10 is driven.

Said scutching wheels 10, 11. are rovided with beating blades 100, 110 suitab e for coaction with concave plates or shoes 30, 31 all respectively. As said shoes'30, 31 are dupli cates, a description of one will suffice for both. Shoe 30 has the contour of its working face throughout the major .part of its length substantially concentric with the periphery of its scutching Wheel 10,. but the upper part of the face of and novel contour.

.Heretofore, according to the best practice.

in this art, there often has been 'a distinct line of demarkation of the beginning of ensaid shoe is of peculiar d gagement of the scutching blade and shoe whereb the action of removin the ulp of thelea has been so abrupt and bars as to cause a material and wasteful loss of fiber by breakage at said line of beginnin of coaction of scutching blade and shoe. so said distinct line of demarkation between cleaned and uncleaned leaf is a fruitful source of Waste at the second scutching Wheel as that wheel is thereby required to commence its work abruptly thus causing injury to the fiber. In .my im roved machine I have eliminated these 0 connecting the top edge 108 of shoe 30, said edge being relatively remote from the path of scutchingblades 100, with the concentric portion 109 of said shoe by a plane or curved surface 300 referably tangent to said concentric with. thereby obtain a raduated opening as 105 between the face of t e shoe 30 and the ath of the o erative edge of the scutching lade. Also l ha'v'e so located the conveyer chains relativeto the top edge of the scutching shoe (Fig. 4) l as to maintain the leaf freefrom contactwith the upper face as 108 of said shoe. By this meansI eliminate any danger of breakin' g the leaf is reduced gradually and a zone of transition from unbeaten leaf to clean fiber is of the fiber is there y conserved and loss by jectionable features by the leaf against the top rovided. The integrity breakage under the action of the first scutching Wheel reduced to a minimum. Furthermore bythe formation in the leaf of this zone of transition said leaf is thereby prepared for gradual and relatively less drastic treatment by the second scutching wheel. This relatively gentle treatment by the second Wheel is particularly desirable as the holding of the leaf by chains 21, 23;is by the cleaned and therefore relatively weaker portions only of said leaf, so as to present all of the remaining uncleaned portions to be operated upon by the second wheel. In my im roved machine the heretofore great wastefu ess in the second scutching operation has been reduced to a minimum and substantially all the fiber of the leaf conserved for usefuldisposal.

For adjusting'the scutchin shoes 30, 31 relative to their respective Wheels 10, 11, I provide the usual horizontal adjustment by means of a screw as 101 for shoe 30. Heretofore, as far. as I am aware, the scutching shoes in machines of the class herein specified, have been providedwith said horizontal adjustment only, whereby it was impossible to obtain desired gradations of action on those portions of the leaf remote from the conveyer chains and more or less directly under the scutching Wheel. To remedy this deficiency I have provided a vertical adjust- 'ment by means of a wedge as 102 for said shoe 30. Said wedge may be moved in the horizontal plane to raise or lower said shoe by means of adjusting screw 103.

In the prior art machines of the general class herein specified have been more or less inefiicient because of the springing of the upper part of the scutching shoe under the severe action of the scutching wheel. A further feature of my improvements comprises means for counteracting said tendency of the scutching shoe to spring out of place. To this end I have provided a resistance post as 104 extending from the ufp er part of said shoe as 30 to a rigid part 0 t he frame-work as rail 5. It will be observed that the bearings of the scutching wheel 10 are fixed to the .same general rigid frame-work as that against which post 104 abuts, whereby irrespective of whatever general vibration may occur in running the machine said scutching Wheel and its coactin shoe will maintain their relative and re etermined operative ositions to each ot er. To provide for the hereinbefore described adjustment of shoe 30 I have threaded ]post 104 where it passes through a vertica y elongated hole in rail 5 and provided lock-nuts 106, 107 thereon for engagement with said rail 5.

he several conveyer chains 20, 21, 22, 23 are made up of individual links as link 82 of chain 20 pinned together and said links preferably have their grip ing faces corrugated lengthwise as at- 83 f ig. 4. Said corrugations are preferably so arranged cross- -rearward portion of chain 22.

wise the link that opposing links will have their corrugations mesh, Fig. 4, thus afi'ording superior gripping ability. The two pairs of conveyer chains 20, 22 and 21, 23 respectively are mounted and actuated as follows: I will first describe the mounting and actuating of upper chains 20, 21. Supported by the upper spans of frames 2, 3, 4 and depending therefrom are stringers 40, 50 running lengthwise the machine. From near the rearward end of stringer 40 depends bearin 41. ,Between the bifurcated ends thereo on shaft 43 is fixed sprocket 42 for the support of the rearward portion of com veyer c ain 20. From the forward end of stringer 40 depends bearing 42 and from the rearward end of stringer 50 depends bearing 52. In these bearings is mounted shaft 53 on which is fast sprocket 54 for the support of the forward portion of chain 20 and sprocket 56 for the support of the rearward portion of chain 21. The forward portion of chain 21 is supported on sprocket 58 fixed on shaft 57 mounted in the bifurcated ends of hearing 55 depending from the forward end of stringer 50. Power is communicated to shaft 53 carrying sprockets 54, 56 and thence to chains 20, 21 by the following means. Said shaft 53 has its outboard end supported in bearing 59 on rail 5, and inboard, adjacent to said bearing, has worm-gear 60 fixed thereon. Said worm-gear meshes with and is driven by worm 61 fixed on shaft 13 of scutching wheel 11.

Lower chains 22, 23 are mounted and driven as follows: In bearing 27 on bracket 28 extending rearwardly from frame 2 is supported one end of shaft 26; the other end of said shaft is supported in the upper end of bracket 29 upstanding from bed plate 9. On said shaft 26 and adjacent to bracket 29 is fixed sprocket 62 for sup )orting the n suitable bearings in the bifurcated upper end of bracket 64 is mounted shaft 65, on the outboard ends of which are fixed sprockets 66, 67 respectively. Sprocket 66 is provided for su porting the forward portion of chain 22 an sprocket 67 is provided for supporting therearward portion of chain 23. The forward portion of said chain 23 is supported on sprocket 68 fixed to shaft 69 mounted in the bifurcated up er end of bracket 70 upstanding from be plate 9. For supporting the upper run of chain 22 a table 71 mounted on legs 72, 73 upstanding from bed plate 9 is provided.

To minimize friction between the chain and table. a series of anti-friction rolls, 74, 74 is provided pivoted on said table. The upper run of chain 23 is similarly supported by table 75 on legs 76, 77 and said table is pro vided with anti-friction rolls 78, 78.

To reduce .the friction and minimize the power required for driving my improved or belts for driving the lower chains 22, 23

and supply power thereto only through frictional contact with their coacting upper chains respectively. My machine is thereby alsosimplified in construction and reduced in weight over the prior art. The lower run of cha1n 20 is urged to engagement with the upper run of chain 22 to be driven thereby to grip the leaves or material to be operated on y scutching wheel 10, by means of a sen'es of rolls 79, 79. Said rolls are mounted in the lower ends of vertically guided pluners 80, 80 respectively, carried in frame 81 epending from stringer 40. Said rolls are urged downwardly by means of springs'82, 82. Said frame 81 is of such contour as to allow free. passage for the. upper run of chain 20. The lower run of chain 21 is urged to engagement with the upper run of chain 23 by means similar to those just described in connection with chain 20 and detailed descri tion thereof is deemed unnecessary.

or delivering the leaves or other material to be treated into the bite of conveyer'chains 20, 22 an endless traveling apron, in the present nstance comprising two sections 18, 180, is provided. This a ron is mounted at its forward end upon pull eys 24,-.25 fixed on e ther side respectively, of sprocket 62 on shaft 26, andwhich shaft is the source of power for said apron. The rearward end of apron 18, 180 is carried by pulley 32 on shaft 33. Said shaft is supported in bearings 34, 35 projecting from table 36 on bracket 37 upstanding from bed plate 9. To assist said feed apron 18, 180 to deliver the leaves into the bite of chains 20, 21, I rovide two pressure belts 84, 85 above sai apron. The operative runs of these belts travel in the same direction and at the same s eed as the u per run of said apron and are efhcient to hol the leaves in place on said apron and prevent their disarrangement as they are delivered into the grip of the conveyer chains. Said belts 84, 85 have their forward portions supported on and are driven by pulleys 86, 87

respectively fast on shaft 43 of sprocket 42.

T e rearward ortions of said be ts are supported by pu eys 88, 89 res ectively pivotally mountedon'graft 90 in bracket 91 rearwardly reaching from stringer 40. I

Looking from the feeding end of the machine, directly forward of scutching wheel 10 and directly rearward of conve er chain 23, is provided means for assisting t ose portions of the leaves that have been cleaned by said scutching wheel 10 into the bite of conveyer chains 21, 23 preparatory to the treatment of their uncleaned portions by scutching wheel 11.' This means comprises an endless traveling belt 95 mounted obliquely length-v wise the machine and so arranged as to underridejthe hanging fibers close to or near conveyer chains 20, 22 and as said fibers travel thereon draw them out horizontally. With this end in view I have mounted in bracket 92 on table 71 ulley 93 for supporting the inboard end o= said belt 95; and in bracket 94 upstanding from bed plate 9, on

shaft 96, I have fixed pulley 97 for sup ortin the forward and outboard portion of said be t 95. Power may be communicated to pulley 97 and shaft 96 from shaft 53 by means of a universal 'oint connecting the adjacent ends of said s afts. For assisting said cleaned portions of the fiber onto traveling belt 95, I provide a uide rod 112 projecting forwardly from tab e 71 and extending a short distance aralleI and level with the upper run of said belt 95. As the cleaned,

portions of the fiber. are carried forward by elt 95 there is a tendency for theunsupported portions ofsaid fiber between, conveyer belts 20, 22 and belt 95 to sag from the horizontal, Fig. 5. To counteract this tendency and insure an accurate delivery into the bite of conve er chains 21, 23 I have rovided a wheel 99 fixed on shaft 65 between s rockets 66 and 67 for revolution therewith. aid wheel preferably has a narrow face and of such a diameter that its apex is above the plane of the upper face of conveyer chain 23 so that as the cleaned ends of the leaf pass thereover they will be insured passage onto said chain, Fig. 6. The periphery of said wheel 99 is illustrated as concentric and smooth but it may be roughened or provided with teeth if desired.

The operation of my improved machine is as follows: Power being ap lied to pulleys 6, 7 and through shaft 13 to the conveyer belts and their appurtenant feeding means, the

machine is started. Leaves of sisal or other ma'ter'ials to be treated are placed on feed apron 18, 180 and preferably approximately at rightangles to the line of travel thereof as at 120 Fig. 1. said apron carries the leaves under the lower runs of belts 84, .85 respectively, and thusv held said leaves are delivered about midway their len th into the grip of conveyer chains 20, 22. 13y means of the corrugated faces of thelinks of said chains and under the pressureof spring impelled rolls 79, 79 said leaves are tightly grip ed and are carried forward and their rightand ortions delivered onto shoe 30 to be operate upon by blades 100 of scutching wheel '10, Fig. 4. The gradually upwardly receding face 300 of the entrance end of said shoe revents abrupt or undulyv harsh action of t e scutching b ades on the leaf and removes the pulp from the leaf in a downwardly increasing degree until under the coaction of said blades 100 with the concentric ortion 109 of the face of shoe 30 substantialfyclean fiber only remains. Said leaf with its right-hand portions thus cleaned is now carried onward off from shoe 30 and out of the sphere of action of scutching wheel The forward movement of 1O thereon. The cleaned portions of said leaf hanging outwardly and downwardly from'between conveyer chains 20, 22 now ride over guide rod 112 and onto the inward end of the upper run of belt 95, Fi that u per run recedes from said 0% ins the cleane portions of the leaf are more or less straightened out horizontally and led to lifting wheel 99. By this wheel said cleaned portions of the leaf are lifted and delivered accurately into the grip of the second pair of conveyer chains 21, 23, Fig. 6, and presently pass out of engagement with chains 20, 21. This leaves all the uncleaned ortion of the leaf extending outwardly to t e left of conveyer chains 21, 23 and convenient to be operated on by scutching wheel 11 in coaction with shoe 3l. Continuing itsprogress said leaf forthwith passes onto the face of shoe 31 and under the action of scutching wheel 11,. The already described zone of transition from uncleaned to cleaned portions enables the leaf to offer a minimum resistance to the action of the second scutching wheel whereby the integrity of the fiber is conserved and the remaining pulpy portions of the leaf removed with relativel small waste of fiber. The

' now complete y cleaned leaf of which only other means for adjusting the scutchi the fiber remains now asses out from under scutchin wheel 11 an off shoe 31 and ,is discharged rom the diverging ends of conveyer chains 21, 23 into some suitable receptacle not shown.

7 I claim: 1. The combination of a scutching wheel and a scutching shoe, said shoe having the ma'or portion of its working face substantial y concentric with and relatively near the path of the scutching wheel and havin its top edge relatively remote from said pat of the scutching wheel and having said top edge connected with the concentric portion of said face by a surface tangent to said concentric portion where it merges therewith, means for adjusting the scutching shoe vertically and horizontally relative to the scutching w eel.

2. The combination of a scutching wheel and a scutching shoe, means for adjusting the scutching shoe bodily vertically and means shoe for ad'usting the scutching shoe bodily horizontally relative to the scutching Wheel.

3. In a fiber preparing machine the combination of a set of two conveyer chains having lon 'tudinal grooves in their working faces, sai chains being mounted upon rear and forward sprocket wheels respectively, and parallel but offset in different planes and so arranged that' the forward sprocket of the first chain is co-axial with the rearward sprocket of the second chain, a second set of two chains similarly mounted and dis osed above the first set of chains respectivel said second set of chains having grooves in the working faces thereof complementary to the grooves in the first set of chains for frictional engagement therewith, means for actuatin one set of said chains, the other set of said chains being driven by friction from the first set thereof, an obliquely disposed belt between the two chains of the lower set and a wheel between the first and second chains of the lower set and co-axial with the common sprocket axis of said chains to lift the fiber for'delivery onto said second chain of the lower set.

4. In a fiber prepaiin machine the combination of two conveyer c ains mounted upon rear and forward sprocket wheels respectively, said chains being parallel but offset in different planes and so arran ed that the forward s rocket of the first c ain is co-axial with t e rearward sprocket of the second chain, an obli uely disposed belt situated adj acent to the first belt and extending beyond the rearward sprocket of the second belt and a Wheel disposed between the forward sprocket of the first chain and the rearward s rocket of the second. chain and co-axial t erewith, to assist the delivery of the fiber from the first chain and the oblique belt onto the second chain.

Signed this twentieth day of July, 1907 at Paterson New Jersey, before two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT ZABRISKIE. 

